BOSTON (AP) -- City officials have pulled the plug on an "ultimate fighting" event and are threatening to ban the kicking and punching bouts altogether, saying they incite crowds and threaten public safety.

Police and licensing officials blocked a competition planned for this Saturday even though ultimate fighting is legal and is regulated by the Massachusetts Boxing Commission.

"This is not something the city of Boston is going to sanction at this point," said Patricia Malone, head of the city's licensing department.

The fighting is "extremely dangerous" and "incites the crowd. It's definitely a public safety issue," she said.

Ultimate fighting features brawlers inside caged rings. Fights are won by knockout or submission, which usually occurs when a participant is trapped in a dangerous hold. It is legal in most states, but is banned in Illinois and St. Paul, Minn.

"It's basically a mix of 10 styles of fighting that are all legal," said Pat Schultz, 29, a participant from Wareham. "I think the sport might be getting a bad rap from people who don't know about it."

Six hundred tickets were sold for Saturday's event, promoter Mike Varner said. He plans to move the event to a facility in Taunton. "We're licensed. It's regulated. We have insurance," he said.

Ultimate fighting supporters say no one has died in a sanctioned bout. However, at least 10 people have died in "Toughman" amateur boxing matches since that competition started 25 years ago.

Just this weekend, Daniel Quirk, 22, was fatally injured while taking part in a pro wrestling event called Ultimate Championship Wrestling, also in Taunton. Authorities said Quirk, of Shelton, Conn., was outside the ring and attempted to catch another wrestler diving from the top rope. He was knocked off his feet and hit his head on the floor, police said.

I question whether Malone has ever even attended one of the many New England MMA events. The wrestling event that the kid died at was closer to some odd unsanctioned WWF event than any kind of sanctioned, ruled and judged professional (or even amateur) MMA event.

The funny part is they have had quite a few MMA events known as 'Mass Destruction' at Avalon. Avalon is a club within the city of Boston, just a few minute drive away from the Roxy where the canceled fight was to be held. If it was that big a deal, why were those fights not shut down? Why now all of a sudden?

The biggest problem in Massachusettes in my view is that they have not yet seperated the sport of MMA from WWF style wrestling events. On one hand it is looked at as a WWF type of event. On the other handthe events are forced to follow lightly modified boxing commision rules. They can't make up their mind yet if this is sport or entertainment. It's sport folks. Sport fighting. Plain and simple. Some folks invovled in MMA (like Mike Varner mentioned in the article) have already been in discussion with the Massachusettes Boxing Commission and other state officials to have a specific MMA rule set like other states. That will be a good first step to avoiding this type of situation. See here for more info on that:http://www.massmma.com/state_house.html

The fact of the matter is that in sanctioned and professional MMA fights in New England, no one has ever been seriously injured. See here for more info on that:http://www.massmma.com/fighter_band.html

I have personally been to a few events at Avalon and at the Matrix which is the facility in Taunton where the event will be moved to. Sure, everyone gets up and excited when the fight gets moving. Just like when a boxing match gets good, or the home team hits a homer in a ballgame, or the quaterback throws that perfect touchdown pass. But it is not like they like to phrase it for purposes of sensationalizing the article by saying "The fighting is "extremely dangerous" and "incites the crowd. It's definitely a public safety issue," she said." There's no public safety issue here.

What MMA fight that you've ever seen allows the fighters to jump out of the ring at each other resulting in situations like this where the guy cracked his head off the floor and died as a result of it? Hmmm... now what type of events do we normally see that at? Maybe WWF copies like these guys, and the morons in those backyard wrestling videos?

Too bad May 5th is so far away... cant wait till Mayweather and De La Hoya meet but thats another thread..

« Last Edit: March 04, 2007, 10:30:16 PM by Robertlk808 »

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"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

I dont believe there are any rules that prohibit it... but perhaps he was just be "cautious" or maybe the heel kick could be misconstrued as a stomp?

Fouls: 1. Butting with the head. 2. Eye gouging of any kind. 3. Biting. 4. Hair pulling. 5. Fish hooking. 6. Groin attacks of any kind. 7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent. 8. Small joint manipulation. 9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head. 10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow. 11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea. 12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh. 13. Grabbing the clavicle. 14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent. 15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent. 16. Stomping a grounded opponent. 17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel. 18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck. 19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area. 20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent. 21. Spitting at an opponent. 22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent. 23. Holding the ropes or the fence. 24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area. 25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break. 26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee. 27. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat. 28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee. 29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury. 30. Interference by the corner. 31. Throwing in the towel during competition.

"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

My take on it was that Tim is a ginormous dude and lifting a heel might have jeopardized Randy's position. Tim could have easily slipped his hip out if Randy would have lost a hook. Not to mention the family jewels Randy could have accidentally hit with the heel which would have called for a break and restart. I am with you Robert, he was playing cautious.

Good point about the positioning, Randy literally man handled Tim a couple of times, I mean he literally threw Tim on the ground a couple of times.I think Tim as a person is a cool person, I saw him in walking in Waikiki once and he was really cool to the people that approached him, I just thought his matches werent as exciting as they could have been. Imagine the respect he would be getting if he did manage to stop RC, Ill have to watch again but I dont recall TS using his jab or his "hunchedback" boxing shell. I wonder if there will be a rematch and how will Tim fight a second time. Will Randy use the same head movement?

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"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

I think with Crocop comming in and some of the new up and commers like Branden Vera....the heavy weight division is passing Tim Silvia by........I think Arlovski can still make noise there but the more svelt mobile big guys are going to take over this weight class IMHO.... TG

"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

Look for "RANDY COUTURE CAPTURES UFC BELT" I dont think there is a way to directly link to it.

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"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

Here's an interview I did for the Ultimate Fighter Season 5 andanother reminder that the season will be starting next Thursdaynight...thanks for the support and please reply with how you aredoing; I'd like to hear from all of you!

Andy Wang is the next fighter who took the time to answer our "QuickShots" questions. Andy looks to show that he is the real deal and notjust another fighter thinking they are "The Last Dragon" to enter theOctagon.

1. Name: Andy Wang

2. Do you have a nickname? "Yellow Peril" It was originally a racistterm used by the West against Asians, particularly Chinese people,from immigrating. Since then, it has become a symbol for perseveringand not giving up during hard times. I'd like to think I share some ofthose same qualities.

3. Place of birth: Kaoshiung, Taiwan. You can thank us for all thecomputer chips and cheap toys you guys have bought over the years!

4. Birthday: May 28, 1977, but I always use the Chinese calendar whena girl asks me my age, which is about 10 years behind. (Laughs)

5. Fight Record: 8-6

6. How long have you competed in MMA? I started competing in MMA whenI was about 9 or 10 years old and a kid came up to me at school andnot only asked me for my lunch money, but proceeded to reach his handsinto my pockets to check for himself. He had both hands in my pocketsand I thought, "How is he going to protect his face?" He didn't.

7 . How did you get started in competing? The first time I saw the UFCon videotape back in 1995, I felt right away that those guys whoentered the Octagon, win or lose, were modern day warriors. I wantedto become one.

8. Who do you train with? Bruce Leroy is a legend in my town! He canbite bullets with his teeth, he'll never bow down to anybody, even ifthey are wearing Converse! Rumor has it he can even glow...

9. What is your favorite UFC moment? Back in the early UFC when FredEttish fought Johnny Rhodes. I remember my stomach was turning as Fredwas getting beat, and I was screaming at the TV, "Tap...why don't youjust tap!" It was then that I realized Fred, even in defeat, had moreheart and character than 99.9% of the people in this world.

11. What do you like to do when you are not training/fighting? Likemost Asians, I like to relax by playing ping-pong and solving calculusequations for fun.

12. What does it mean to you to get a chance to compete in the UFC?Honestly, it means I get a chance to find my destiny...to competeagainst the best fighters in the world and to know exactly where Istand in this sport, that's an awesome and rare opportunity.

13. What job do you have or had before coming to the UFC? I taughthigh school World History and U.S. Government all the way until lastsemester and it's a job that was a lot of fun and I met some of thecoolest kids along the way who had such amazing and inspirationalstories. One kid that stands out was a student of mine whose wholefamily was a part of a Crip gang based in Long Beach, California. Hehad been in and out of jail, had a child and was heading to prison orthe morgue, but he made the decision to go to college for his infantson, and even though he got zero support or help, he made something ofhimself and he had the guts to do the right thing...it was amazing tosee.

14. Did you go to college and if so, where? I am a proud alumni of theUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa...GO BOWS!

15. Have you held any rank or titles? I am proudly the South TorranceH.S. 1995 Prom King. I was so emotional when they handed me mycrown...

16. Who do you look up to? Without question my mother and father.Anytime a family emigrates to a new country, they do it for their kidsand my parents endured a lot and gave up everything they had to giveme and my brother a shot at making our dreams come true.

17. What is your favorite technique? Anything that gets the crowd"ooohing and aahing"!

18. Are you married and/or have kids? I've never been married and do nothave children at this time.

TUF 5 sounds like it is going to be awesome, someone already leaked out an incident that should appear on the first episode. I read that Bj really got on Jens nerves and by the end of the season they are going to throw down with some mean intent.

The Andy Wang interview is great! I cant wait to see him fight.

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"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

Hey anybody out there think that Matt Serra stood a chance against GSP? WOW what a upset!! Matt has a lot of heart, but GSP has a lot of class but just goes to show anyhting can happen in a fight. But I did not think that Serra would have pulled it off. Just that one fight made my night. All the others where allfull. Mongo

Unconventional in that he resorted to very tight boxing technique, I guess people are not used to seeing boxing any more in UFC His right hand rarely left his head as apposed to all of the fighters that hold their hands low and off their head. Apparently Daily Motion has a legal deal to host certain fights and this just so happens to be one of them:

"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

Report: UFC Opts for No Drug Testing at UFC 69 or UFC 70 Posted by UFC Junkie on April 26, 2007 at 9:15 am ET

Fighters from neither Houston's UFC 69 event nor last weekend's UFC 70 event in England underwent drug testing following their bouts, according to Steve Sievert of the Houston Chronicle.

According to Sievert, officials from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation stated that the drug testing was the responsibility of the "sanctioning body" of UFC 69, which in this case, was none other than the UFC.

The UFC simply chose not to test anyone.

Sievert has some feedback from Marc Ratner, the UFC's vice president of regulatory affairs, regarding the matter. Unfortunately, he doesn't offer much in the way of an explanation, other than saying the UFC would have had no authority to discipline the fighters even if they did test positive for performance-enhancing or recreational drugs. (Really?)

Add this latest fiasco to growing list of grievances regarding the TDLR and its first-ever UFC event in the state of Texas. Earlier this month, UFCjunkie.com contacted the commission to get a list of salaries from the fighters at the April 7 event. This information is readily available from other state commissions and considered a matter of public record.

However, with the Texas commission, our numerous phone calls and email messages were ignored. No explanation was given, and no information was sent. I later learned that other media outlets were told that the commission wouldn't release the information until the state's attorney general decided whether or not the figures could stay private. Of course, UFCjunkie.com never got an answer either way.

Sievert also asked Ratner about testing for UFC 70, which took place in Manchester, England. Ratner said they simply had no legal means to do it.

However, just a few days before the UFC 70 event, UFC president Dana White said that the organization would administer the drug tests -- and that Ratner, the former head of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, would be in charge of the process. White made the comments during a conference call to reporters a few days before the event.

Said White:

[Each drug test] will be a random drug test, and actually, what we are doing for this is Marc Ratner will be overseeing and has flown over a lot of inspectors, judges and referees. As far as safety goes, we always go overboard. Ratner is overseeing the whole thing.

The tests, of course, never happened.

In fact, England was apparently so ill-prepared for the event that the UFC reportedly had to fly over two U.S. inspectors, three judges and a doctor who consulted with local officials on the night of the event.

Why didn't you listen to your corner, that is what they are there for!!

Oh well....

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"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

Andy's a buddy via his being a Machado BB and via our having trained together at RAW/R1, so I am bummed for him. This was a big opportunity for him to get what he came for in MMA

The guy was four inches taller than him (given Andy's stocky build, this can't be a rare experience for him) and Andy is a Machado BB, so BJ's advice to take it to the ground seems to as obvious as it was sound. Also to my eye it looked like no one ever showed Andy the footwork fundamentals of fighting unmatched leads. Combine that with the opponent's reach advantage and the result was what it was.

omg i can't believe he fought like that. I was yelling at the tv, he is such a phenomonal grappler... why did he want to kickbox?I concur that he did not have any basis for fighting an unmatched lead, if i recall correctly didn't this happen a few fights ago in TUF5 as well?(episode2) the fighter had no concepts of fighting a different lead.

The guy had so much reach advantage, yet he wanted to kickbox and throw a looping overhand. You don't throw overhands on southpaws in general, you pump that straight right down the pipe. And if you're doing DBMA you got the outside diamond. The single pick was right there especially in unmatched lead, you're such a good grappler Andy why did you do that? You're not a striker per se. The guy dissected him with basic kickboxing and reach. The one time i think a single attempt was made he ate a knee, but you gotta commit, eat it and grab it. Saddly that was your shot into the big boys.

Also to my eye it looked like no one ever showed Andy the footwork fundamentals of fighting unmatched leads.

YES! Jen's seems to have a good idea of the footwork as he was yelling "circle, circle!" but I agree that Andy should have at least understood the outside footwork. I was commenting to my girlfriend as we watched it; "it seems like some of the material we work is still a big secret to a lot of pro fighters and coaches." This is really one of the only explanations for it not coming out as much.

LAKE FOREST, Calif., May 16 — When Johnnie Morton finished playing wide receiver in the National Football League, he carefully reviewed his retirement options: be host of a talk show, expand his real estate profile, maybe work on his golf game.

Morton played 12 professional seasons, including 8 with the Detroit Lions. He caught 43 touchdown passes in his career. After much consideration, Morton decided that it would be best to spend his free time being body slammed into a chain-link fence by two men named Joker and Gun.

“Crazy, huh?” Joker said.

Joker’s real name is Mike Guymon. Gun’s real name is Tony Bonello. Together, they are teaching Morton how to compete in mixed martial arts, one of the few sports that may be more violent and more dangerous than professional football.

“I’ve gotten hit a lot in my life,” said Morton, who spent 12 seasons going over the middle against N.F.L. safeties. “But I’ve never gotten hit like this.”

Morton will walk into a ring for the first time June 2 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, beginning his second career. He expects to ask himself the same question that friends, family members and former teammates have been asking him for months: What in the world are you thinking?

Mixed martial arts combines wrestling, boxing and kick boxing with jujitsu, tae kwon do and Muay Thai. Punches to the head and knees to the gut are encouraged. Even the most accomplished fighters get their faces rearranged into cubist paintings.

Two months ago, Morton’s only experience with mixed martial arts was watching the Ultimate Fighting Championship on television. He admired the fighters, mainly because they were the only athletes who seemed more fearless than football players. Morton memorized their names as if they were N.F.L. superstars.

“Some people want to bungee jump,” Morton said. “Others want to jump out of planes. I would never do that. But I want to do this.”

Morton, 35, does not have to fight for a living. He went to the University of Southern California, had a cameo playing himself in the movie “Jerry Maguire,” and was named one of People magazine’s most eligible bachelors. He is rich, handsome, and almost as marketable as Tiki Barber, the former Giants running back who is now a news correspondent for NBC’s “Today” show.

Morton, meanwhile, goes to work at a gym in an Orange County office park. The gym — Joker’s Wild Fighting Academy — includes a ring with a chain-link fence. Japanese and American flags hang from the ceiling, reminding Morton of his mixed heritage.

In Detroit, where Morton spent eight seasons, he was the kind of player who did not get tired even during two-a-days. He can bench press 400 pounds. His body fat is less than 5 percent. But during a sparring session Wednesday, he could not summon the energy to get off his hands and knees. Joker and Gun had to drag him to his feet.

“Let me die in peace,” Morton moaned.

Then he remembered that he was a former professional football player, that his girlfriend was watching, and that Joker and Gun do not believe in peace.

Morton charged at his sparring partner, battering him with a combination of punches and dropping him to the mat with a sweep of his leg. Morton used one hand to grab the man’s neck and the other to pound the side of his face.

If Morton were in the N.F.L., he would have drawn a 15-yard penalty, an automatic ejection, a fine and a possible suspension. But here, he prompted Joker and Gun to do their version of a touchdown dance.

“Look at this guy,” Gun said. “He’s beautiful. He has tons of money. He has an incredibly happy lifestyle. And he’s putting his brain on the line. He’s putting his manhood on the line. It’s hard to say what would make him do it.”

Morton is not the first N.F.L. player to enter the ring, only the most celebrated. Michael Westbrook, a former receiver for the Washington Redskins, won a fight two years ago over Jarrod Bunch, a former running back for the Giants. Bob Sapp, a washout as a N.F.L. lineman, became a formidable competitor in mixed martial arts.

One afternoon last winter, Morton was eating lunch at the Health Emporium when a man named Joey Sakoda approached him. Sakoda first asked Morton if he wanted to go to a mixed martial arts fight. Then Sakoda asked Morton if he wanted to participate.

Sakoda works for Superagent Athletes, a Japanese agency that represents Joker and Gun, both title holders. Sakoda acted quickly, placing Morton on the Dynamite!! U.S.A. fight card, which includes a mixed martial arts star (Royce Gracie) as well as a novelty act (Hong Man Choi, a 7-foot-2 South Korean.)=====

Morton was afraid to tell his parents. His mother, Katsuko, is Japanese-American. His father, Johnnie Sr., is African-American. Johnnie Sr. was once shot eight times while in his car. Katsuko and Johnnie Sr. did not want their son taking any more risks with his body.

Morton is getting no tuneups. He is fighting in less than two weeks, on Showtime pay-per-view, in the same stadium where he played college football. He will be paid about as much money as he used to earn for a single N.F.L. game.

One of the broadcasters will be Jay Glazer, who has a unique perspective on the bout. Glazer is best known as an N.F.L. analyst, but he also competes in mixed martial arts. When he visits N.F.L. training camps in the summer, players ask him more about fighting than about football.

“Football players are looked at as the biggest and baddest guys on the planet,” Glazer said. “People see them as superheroes. But football players also need someone to look up to. They view mixed martial arts as something even they are unwilling or unable to do. All the guys love Johnnie. But they think he’s nuts.”

N.F.L. players may not want to get into the ring, but they are willing to get in a gym. For years, many players have used boxing as part of their off-season workout regimen. Recently, they have started to turn to mixed martial arts.

According to Glazer, Philadelphia’s Brian Dawkins and Jacksonville’s Donovin Darius have trained at a mixed martial arts gym. So has Barber. This winter, Kansas City’s Jared Allen worked out at Arizona Combat Sports in Tempe.

“Football used to be our only real gladiator sport,” said Trevor Lally, the owner of Arizona Combat Sports gym. “Now, players have M.M.A. to give them a taste of that one-on-one combat. The combat is what they love.”

Morton was never a fighter. Like many receivers, he would try to hit linebackers when they were looking the other way. But Morton said there was only one person in the N.F.L. he would really like to see in the ring — Matt Millen, the Lions’ president. Millen directed a homosexual epithet at Morton after a game between Detroit and Kansas City in 2003, when Morton was playing for the Chiefs.

Morton is not ready to give up football just yet. He was released by the San Francisco 49ers two years ago but said that his agent was talking to a couple of teams. Ideally, he would fight in June and go to a training camp in July.

Morton is trying to shift back and forth, from the mainstream of sports to the fringes, from Tom Brady and Peyton Manning to Joker and Gun. When Morton finished his workout Wednesday, Joker shouted out one more piece of advice, for the road home and the road to retirement.

Aaron Stark will step into the ring at the Everett Events Centertonight with his mind set on knocking his opponent unconscious orbeating him into submission.

The Oregon native is 205 pounds of tough, a fighter in theInternational Fight League, the world's first team-based professionalmixed martial arts league, which is making its first stop inWashington tonight.

And Stark's long-term dream: To make world-class pinot noir.

Seriously.

When he's not busy fighting or training, Stark is the vineyard managerfor Colene Clemens Vineyard in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Thefamily-owned vineyard, named for Stark's grandmother, planted pinotnoir vines - three different Dijon clones, Stark says with pride - twoyears ago, and Stark said they hope to produce their first wines nextyear.

Oh yeah, the former college wrestler is also a member of MensaInternational, an organization of people with high IQs.

While mixed martial arts competitions, best known from the UltimateFighting Championships that draw huge crowds and pay-per-view ratings,continue their rapid growth in this country and abroad (see lastweek's cover of Sports Illustrated as evidence), they also fightconstant misconceptions.

Gone are the early days of the sport when there were no weight classesand few rules. Despite the violence of the sport - and there's noarguing that it is violent - fighters say the sport is much safer thanthe casual observer might believe.

These are athletes, and well-rounded ones at that, not brawlers.

"I do think that's something we're always dealing with," Stark said."I won't tell you that there aren't any savages in the business, butmost of the guys tend to be fairly well-rounded guys outside of thering. They're guys with families, guys who went to college. I don'thave any hatred for my opponents. It's a sport."

The IFL's visit tonight gives local fight fans a chance to see thesport up close. The IFL, which started last year and is in its firstfull season, differs from Ultimate Fighting by being a team sport.Tonight's card features fighters from four of the teams in the 12-teamleague: Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Los Angeles; and Tokyo. Each team hasfighters in five weight classes, and teams win by winning three ormore of the five matches.

Competitions take place in a round-robin format from January to June,with the top two teams competing for the IFL Championship inSeptember.

While the IFL may not have the name recognition of Ultimate Fighting,it is certainly doing well in its first full season. Matches are heldin smaller venues, similar in size to the 8,300-seat Everett EventsCenter, and usually draw between 5,000 and 8,000 fans. The league alsohas TV contracts with FSN, which airs a weekly show Friday nights, andwith MyNetworkTV, which has a two-hour show on Mondays that is partfight action and part a behind-the-scenes look at the league.

In the early to mid-1990s, the early days of mixed martial arts in theU.S., fighters could get away with almost anything. The sport wasreferred to as "human cockfighting" by Republican Sen. John McCain ofArizona and was banned in many states before changes were made.

Now the sport is regulated. It has weight classes and rules.

The IFL's Web site lists 27 actions constituting fouls, includingbutting with the head, eye gouging, biting, hair pulling, fishhooking, groin attacks of any kind, elbows to the face or head, and -get ready to cringe - intentionally placing a finger in any opponent'sorifice.

The sport's top athletes are just that: athletes, not barroom brawlersstepping into the ring. Most come into the sport with a background inone fighting discipline and then learn others such as boxing,kickboxing, wrestling, Jiu Jitsu, karate, Muay Thai or tae kwon do.

Unlike boxing, mixed martial arts has not had a death in a sanctioned event.

"It's definitely not as bad as what people think," said Ryan Schultz,a member of the Portland Wolfpack and one of the league's stars."We're not just brutes up there beating the crap out of each other.We're all friends. It's totally a sport. Most of us, we're prettyeasygoing guys."

The IFL is also unique in that is provides a steady fight schedule andsteady pay. While the top fighters on pay-per-view fights are makinggood money, other fighters can struggle to find fights at all, letalone fights that pay well. IFL fighters, on the other hand, havecontracts with the league that provide a steady paycheck and healthbenefits.

"I've fought all over the place, in Japan, Hawaii, Canada, justlooking for fights," said Schultz, who wrestled at the University ofNebraska. "With this league it's great. With IFL, you can plan yourlife a little bit better. You know when you're fighting. They takecare of us."

That financial security is something some fighters never thoughtthey'd get from fighting.

"My first five fights were for free," said Brad Blackburn, an Olympianative who fights for the Seattle Tiger Sharks. "Now I'm getting paidenough to pay my bills. I was hoping one day it would pay, but I neverreally thought it would. I'm getting paid to go out and do something Ilove."

Controversial or not, the sport on display tonight in Everett seemshere to stay.

"This sport is definitely blowing up," Schultz said. "It's fun to beon that train. It's exciting; you can definitely see the change in howpopular it's becoming. I think it's here to stay and I see it doingbig, big things."

More about the sport

Fighting styles used: Boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, Jiu Jitsu,karate, Muay Thai and tae kwon do are the most prominent - also judo,aikido and others.

How a fight is won: Matches are won by knockout, technical knockout(referee or corner stoppage), submission or tap out (when an athleteresigns the match because he is in a compromised hold or choke), or ajudge's decision. The team that wins the best three of five matcheswins the team competition.

Common terms

Armbar: A type of armlock in which the arm is hyper-extended at theelbow in order to get an opponent to submit or tap out.

Ground-and-pound: A technique in which an athlete gains an advantagethrough a takedown, assumes a top position and strikes down on theopponent.

Heelhook: A submission hold applied on the heel and then fullyaccomplished by twisting the knee at the joint.

Submission hold: A choke or joint manipulation that is meant to causean opponent to submit or tap out.

Tap/tap out: An act of submission or giving up in which an opponent,hopelessly captured in a submission hold or being pummeled by strikes,taps the mat or his opponent in lieu of blacking out or risking bodilyharm.

Takedown: The act of putting your opponent to the floor with a tackle,sweep, Greco-throw or other technique, typically involving the legs.

IFL timeline

Jan. 6, 2006: Real estate developer and martial arts aficionado KurtOtto and Gareb Shamus, founder of Wizard Entertainment, announce thecreation of the International Fight League. The IFL will field fourteams (Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Moline, Ill.) and play hostto two national tournaments in 2006 before formally launching a fullseason in 2007.

April 29, 2006: The IFL makes its debut at the Taj Mahal in AtlanticCity, N.J. The Quad Cities Silverbacks post a 4-1 win over the LosAngeles Anacondas, and the Seattle Tiger Sharks edge the New YorkPitbulls 3-2.

June 2-Nov. 20, 2006: The league expands to 12 teams for the 2007season, adding franchises in Portland, Ore.; Tokyo; Toronto; San Jose,Calif.; Tucson, Ariz.; Orange County, Calif.; Chicago; and in Nevada.

Nov. 29, 2006: The IFL begins trading as a public company under theOTC Bulletin Board ticker symbol (IFLI: OTC.BB).

"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

unless baroni can ko frank the way he ko'd menne (quick chain of punches...brutal to watch), i see frank fighting phil like he fought tito, constant movement on the ground, making phil work to hold him down, and then knocking him out when phil gasses...

I saw that Royce is denying the use of 'hoids. He says he was using over the counter products. The recent case with the American who won the World title only to have it taken away, has given me a sense that these things sometimes are not cut and dried. Let the Truth be found.

HOLLYWOOD is so behind the curve on cultural trends that most fads are over before the movie biz can figure out how to exploit them. So I guess I shouldn't have been shocked to discover that someone is only now -- after Ultimate Fighting Championship has become a huge ratings champ on Spike TV, made the cover of Sports Illustrated and, most important in terms of zeitgeist cred, been mocked by both the Onion and "The Daily Show" -- making a film about the wild 'n' woolly sport that has gained a chokehold on the elusive 18-to-34 male demographic. The picture, called "Redbelt," is shooting here in Los Angeles through the end of the month, with much of the filming at the Pyramid in Long Beach. After visiting the set last week, I asked industry-ites to guess the identity of the filmmaker who'd beaten everyone else to the punch, so to speak. An action impresario like Michael Bay? A guy's guy like Michael Mann? A sports-aholic like Mike Tollin?

Wrong, wrong and wrong again. The filmmaker who's plunged headfirst into the brutal world of ultimate fighting is ... David Mamet.

A celebrated playwright, opinionated essayist and fiercely independent filmmaker, Mamet was introduced to the sport several years ago by several enthusiasts, notably Mordecai Finley, Mamet's rabbi and a longtime jujitsu practitioner who has a part in the film as one of the undercard fighters. Fascinated by the sport, which blends the brawn of boxing and agility of kick-boxing with the art of jujitsu and the head-banging of wrestling, Mamet wrote a story that revolves around many of his favorite themes -- honor, deception and betrayal -- set in the world of mixed martial arts.

"Like everyone, I grew up with boxing, but everyone seems sick to death of it -- it's all about whether Mike Tyson was going to bite someone's ear off or not," Mamet said during a break between scenes last week. "I'm interested in going backstage into this new world, especially since everyone loves backstage movies. You could say that the story is a lot like a story about Hollywood -- it's all about honor and corruption."

Mamet grins. "In a lot of ways, it's an American samurai film. I think it's a script Kurosawa would've liked."

Mamet's script focuses on a jujitsu master, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Children of Men"), who after years of refusing to fight must sacrifice his purity by going into the ring to protect his honor. The film is populated with top fighters, including Ultimate Fighting Championship legend Randy Couture, Enson Inoue and Ray Mancini, as well as John Machado, who runs a Brazilian jujitsu training school in L.A. But it also features such acting talent as Emily Mortimer and Tim Allen, as well as Mamet regulars Joe Mantegna and Ricky Jay, who plays a fight promoter who delivers such Mamet gems as "Everything in life -- the money's in the rematch."

Mamet pitched the story all over town. To his surprise, everyone passed. "I was a little dumbfounded," he admits. "I told them, 'Crunch the numbers. Look at the UFC's pay-TV ratings. See how big Randy Couture and some of the UFC stars are.' God willing, I think a lot of people are going to be surprised at how well this will do."

Looking for a buyer, Mamet went to Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, the heads of Sony Pictures Classics, the art-house specialists best known for championing foreign films from the likes of Pedro Almodóvar and Zhang Yimou. "With them, at least you're talking to the two guys who can say yes," Mamet explains. "They didn't even ask to see the script. They said, 'We'll see you at the opening.' "

Still, that's quite a culture clash, a mixed-martial arts film being financed by the guys whose business model usually involves winning Oscars with exotic foreign films. But from Sony Classic's point of view, the movie is a good bet. For $7 million, they not only get a classic Mamet drama but also one rooted in a pop culture phenomenon.

Created in the early 1990s, Ultimate Fighting Championship events were initially more sordid brawling than sport, famously dismissed by Sen. John McCain of Arizona in 1996 as "human cockfighting." The UFC was purchased in 2001 by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta with the aid of Dana White, an ex-gym owner who is now the sport's colorful impresario. With a host of new rules and the creation of weight classes, the UFC took off, thanks in part to a weekly Spike TV reality show, "The Ultimate Fighter," which often attracts a bigger young male audience than the NBA or Major League Baseball.

The UFC is represented by the Endeavor Talent Agency, which has helped the UFC put together TV deals with HBO and ESPN. But Hollywood has been a tougher nut to crack. Initially wary of the sport because of its extreme violence, the studios have only just begun to notice the sport's passionate following among men, just as the studios have been painfully slow to react to other pop subcultures, including hip-hop, skateboarding and street racing.

White spoke derisively about Hollywood's risk-averse attitude toward ultimate fighting, saying, "They are the last in line when anything new comes along." He got early interest from several prominent producers. "But we kind of pulled back. They wanted to use the brand, and we never came to a deal. If we do a movie, we want it done right."

The UFC at one point commissioned a script itself, hiring "15 Minutes" writer-director John Herzfeld for a project that would've been released by Lionsgate. White says, "We got cold feet and pulled out" over control issues. Studio executives say they've seen a number of spec scripts, but none that captured the world in an inspired way, the way "8 Mile" did with hip-hop. "Too much of what we've seen have been 'Rocky'-style stories, which felt too clichéd," says Moritz.

Studio execs who heard Mamet's pitch said they shied away because they still felt they were getting a Mamet movie, for them a product with limited box-office appeal. Only now, with the sport booming, are projects taking shape. Universal is developing a film while New Line is close to a deal with director Gavin O'Connor ("Miracle") for a script about two friends pursuing a mixed martial-arts title fight.

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"For me, there's a great story that could put a microscope on the fighters' lives and capture their humanity as well as the brutality of the sport," says O'Connor, who produced an HBO documentary, "The Smashing Machine," that chronicled the struggles of fighter Mark Kerr. "But Hollywood has been very cautious. They're never ahead of the curve. They only jump on the bandwagon when something is already successful." An ultimate fighting movie will never work if it airbrushes away the rough edges of the sport. Mamet's "Redbelt" script certainly doesn't. As Ricky Jay's fight promoter puts it: "Any two guys fighting for money. No way the fight is fair."

What seems to especially interest Mamet is the eternal conflict between art and business. In "Redbelt," the artist is Ejiofor's character, a loner who trains off-duty cops and bouncers in the art of self-defense but refuses to fight himself. As one of his friends puts it: "He can't stand the sight of money."

This is hardly the way of the new world of sport-tainment, where athleticism is often overshadowed by performance enhancement drugs and endorsement deals. Watching Mamet direct a scene one day, John Machado -- whose uncle was the founder of Brazilian jujitsu -- pondered the movie's themes, which hit especially close to home for him since he has chosen to teach instead of to fight.

"This movie could have a big impact, because it shows the love you must have for the art," he says. "My character is a businessman, so I'm part of the conflict in the movie -- and in real life. How much do you do to sell yourself without selling out?"

Perhaps that's why the studios are so late to the party with ultimate fighting. How to sell yourself without selling out is one of those questions Hollywood has never figured out how to answer.

IMHO events like Kimbo/Mercer are what make the public shake their head at MMA. A fight like this is pure exhibitionism. Street brawler vs. Washed up Boxer. MMA has a hard enough time staying credible without displays like this. The majority of the audience for this one is more interested in who's giving/taking the beating than technique or style. I won't waste my time (or money) on this one.

That being said, I think Kimbo is a lock for this one. But get him into the ring with a real MMA pro or even a halfway decent fighter close to his age and he won't last a round.

Dang, I didnt catch this until it was over but there was a free seminar this weekend at the new ICON gym Rigan Machado and Rico Chiapperelli were among the instructors.

Logged

"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

I just watched an interview with David Mamet on the Fox News website. He is talking about training the actors for Redbelt, his new movie about MMA. In the interview he points out (in the background) Rico Chiapparelli, who is training some of the fighters / actors. Here's the clip:

Woof, Since there are rules in the UFC, I would purpose that they add a "stalling" rule, with a point deduction for excessive or persistent stalling, much like they do in wrestliing.The reason being and the example I will give is.........On several occassions Hermes Franca "turtled up" and baiscly did nothing, except hide and cover and rest.We also see as we also saw with Hermes stalling from the guard or at the very least, extreme inactivity. This puts the burden on the top guy to work, which I think Sean Sherk did very well, but does make for a fairly boring fight.

I think the bottom guy should have to work to improve his position, or risk losing a point, and not merly hold on.In a different vien not really relative to the Hf vs. SS FIGHT......some guys will purposley stall with the knowledge that if nothings happening on the ground then the fighters will be stood back up....which in a lot of times is what the bottom guy wants....... merly covering up is not fighting.....If it were a stand up fight like boxing leaning on the ropes covered up would not be allowed,..... Just my opinion........ TG

1) I liked Bisping and didn't care for Hamill in TUF, but I thought Hamill won.2) Crocop-Kongo: Crocop would appear to have a hard road ahead if he continues to fight.3) Good fight between two fine warriors. Congrats to Rampage.

1) Hamill was robbed.2) I think CroCop has 1, maybe 2 fights left before he fades into obscurity. He looked lackluster and uninterested. Kongo has been rising for a while.3) Henderson/Rampage was great. Equal parts brawl and chessmatch. Fun to watch.